HOUGHTON
The parish of Houghton, lying south-west of Stock-bridge and north-west of King's Somborne, is detached
from the other parishes of Buddlesgate Hundred. It
comprises 33 acres of land covered by water and 2,639
acres of land, which rises generally from south-east
to north-west from the low-lying country near the
River Test, which flows along the east of the
parish to the downland, which stretches away north
to Houghton Down, behind which rises Danebury
Hill in Nether Wallop parish. The main road from
Romsey to Stockbridge branches north-east and north-west, south-east of Houghton parish, and immediately
south-east of Horsebridge village (in King's Somborne
parish). The north-eastern branch leads through King's
Somborne village to the east end of Stockbridge, while
the other leads to the west end of Stockbridge through
Houghton village. The north-western branch, after
passing through Horsebridge, over the railway line (the
Andover branch of the London and South-Western
Railway, which skirts Houghton parish, has a station at
Horsebridge), continues through low-lying water meadows, and crossing the Test passes by the old Houghton
mill, which stands on the left, and is now used for generating electric light. Winding round more directly to
the north the road comes to the picturesque buildings of
the village, lying for the most part on the west side
of the road, and becomes the main village street. On
either side of the long village street are grouped low
thatched cottages, one of which on the east side serves
as the post-office, while towards the north is the Boot
Inn, standing on the west, and several more modern
cottages and houses. Here a road branching uphill
to the west leads to the church and rectory and to
the Manor Farm. A high hedge on the north shuts
in the rectory, a fine old eighteenth-century house,
which is approached by a drive on the east running
round to the north entrance. A narrow door close
to the house in the west garden wall leads into the
churchyard and to the church, which stands immediately south-west of the rectory near the road
behind a low brick wall. In the fields opposite
the church stands one of the old barns of Manor
Farm, which was used for services while the church
was being altered in 1882, on which is an old weather
vane from the church. Manor Farm stands west of
the church, a square, plain-fronted house facing east,
with long rambling passages and low old-fashioned
rooms. Beyond Manor Farm the road becomes a
rough lane leading north-west over fields to the
downland.
The main village street, curving west for a few
yards at the north end of the village, turns sharply
north and runs uphill past Houghton Lodge, the residence of Colonel E. St. John Daubney, which lies
back from the road on the east, on to North Houghton.
The soil of the parish is loam, chalk and peat with
a subsoil of chalk producing the ordinary crops of
wheat, barley, and roots. Of the total 2,639 acres of
land, 1,610¾ are arable, 813¾ permanent grass, and
41 woodland. (fn. 1)
MANORS
The manor of HOUGHTON DRAYTON belonged to the church of Winchester by the grant of King Edgar
of lands at 'Horton' in the tenth century. (fn. 2) At
the time of the Domesday Survey the bishop held
Houghton for the monks of Winchester, and it was
then assessed at 16 hides. (fn. 3) William Peverel held
1 hide of the manor, but refused to pay geld, and a
certain Walter in like manner held 1 hide. (fn. 4) In 1205
and again in 1243 the pope confirmed the manor to
the prior and convent, (fn. 5) and in 1301 Edward I
granted them free warren in their demesne lands in
Houghton. (fn. 6) From this date to the time of the Dissolution the prior and convent held the manor, (fn. 7)
the annual receipts from which increased from
£19 6s. 3½d. to £41 11s. 11d. during the fourteenth
century. (fn. 8) In 1543 the king granted the manor of
Houghton in Houghton with appurtenances in
Houghton, Drayton, Dockham and Evely, with a
reserved rent of £2 19s. 9d., to Robert White of
Aldershot, (fn. 9) who five years later conveyed it by fine
to his father John White, gentleman and grocer of
London. (fn. 10) In 1558 the manor was settled on John
and his heirs on the occasion of his marriage with
Katherine Greneway, widow, (fn. 11) and four years later
Queen Elizabeth granted him the reserved rent of
£2 19s. 9d. (fn. 12) On his death the manor passed to his
son and heir Robert, who dealt with it by a recovery
in 1589 (fn. 13) and died seised of it in 1599. (fn. 14) His heirs
were his two daughters, Ellen wife of Richard Tichborne, and Mary wife of Walter, brother of Richard
Tichborne. (fn. 15) The manor of Houghton Drayton was
settled on Ellen the elder, (fn. 16) and on her death in 1612
passed to her only daughter Amphyllis, who married
Lawrence Hyde, son and heir of Sir Lawrence Hyde,
bart., in 1619. (fn. 17) Amphyllis died before her husband
in 1632 leaving one son Robert, an infant, and three
daughters, Amphyllis, Anne, and Ellen, who became
co-heirs. (fn. 18) Amphyllis married Thomas Chaffin of
Chettle (co. Dorset), (fn. 19) and it is probable that Ellen
married John Lowe of Shaftesbury (co. Dorset), for
in 1655 Amphyllis Chaffin, widow, John Lowe and
Ellen his wife, and others, were dealing with the
manor of Houghton and the other manors originally
belonging to Robert White. (fn. 20) Houghton was evidently soon afterwards settled on John Lowe and
Ellen, for Lawrence Lowe, probably their son and
heir, dealt with it by recovery in 1679, no doubt on
the occasion of his marriage with Lucy daughter of
Thomas Pile of Baverstock (co. Wilts.). (fn. 21) He seems
to have left no issue, for in 1689 his widow Lucy,
in conjunction with Thomas Chaffin, Edward Lowe,
clerk, and Robert Hyde, released all right in the
manor to Thomas Freke, (fn. 22)
who, on his death without
issue in 1698, left his estates
to Thomas Pile and Elizabeth
wife of Thomas Freke of
Hannington (co. Wilts.) for
life with reversion to George
Pitt of Stratfield Saye, (fn. 23) who
had married Lucy, Lawrence
Lowe's widow. (fn. 24) In this way
Houghton came into the possession of the Pitt family, with
whom it remained for a considerable period. (fn. 25) The subsequent history of the manor is uncertain, but it
eventually came into the possession of the Rev.
Richard Townsend, rector of Ickford (co. Bucks.).
He sold it about 1860 to Mr. Charles Warner, on
whose death it passed to Mr. Frederick Warner of
Winchester.
Pitt. Sable a fesse checky argent and azure between three bezants.
There were four mills worth 70s. in the manor of
Houghton Drayton at the time of the Domesday
Survey. (fn. 26) The present Houghton mill in the south
of the parish probably marks the site of one, while
another is possibly represented by Horsebridge mill,
which although quite near the village of Houghton is
locally situated in King's Somborne parish. The
latter mill was certainly held of the prior and convent of St. Swithun, as appears from the inquisition
taken in 1482 on the death of Sir Thomas Mylbourne, who died seised of a toft, lands, and the site
of a mill in Houghton, Horsebridge, and Forton in
the parish of Alverstoke, leaving a son and heir
Henry. (fn. 27)
There seem to have been four estates in Houghton
besides the manor of Houghton Drayton. Thus at
the time of the Domesday Survey Hugh de Port held
2½ hides in Houghton which were held of him by
a certain Heldered and which together with part of
Awbridge in the parish of Michelmersh had been
given to Hugh as one manor, as parcel of the forfeited possessions of Earl Godwin. (fn. 28) Turstin the
Chamberlain also held lands in Houghton, which
Algar and Edward had held of King Edward. (fn. 29)
Besides Hugh de Port and Turstin the Chamberlain,
Anschitil son of Osmund and Turold were also holding lands in Houghton, (fn. 30) the former of the king in
chief and the latter of Roger earl of Shrewsbury.
Anschitil's estate had formed part of the possessions
of Earl Godwin, while Turold's lands in Houghton
had been held by Osmund of King Edward. (fn. 31)
The Port estate, which was afterwards called the
manor of NORTH HOUGHTON, was held of the
Ports and their heirs by the family of Portsea in the
twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries. In the
latter part of the twelfth century Baldwin of Portsea
and Adeliza his wife granted 1 virgate in Houghton
and pasture for one hundred sheep, six oxen, five swine,
and one boar to the church of St. Denis in free alms,
and their gift was confirmed by their overlord Adam
de Port. (fn. 32) Andrew of Portsea, probably greatnephew of Baldwin and Adeliza, (fn. 33) was holding half a
knight's fee in Houghton in the reign of Henry III
of Robert de St. John, who held in chief. (fn. 34) In
1316 the same tenement seems to have been held by
Thomas de Brykevile or Brinkhale and Richard
of Portsea; (fn. 35) and two years later Richard of Portsea,
to whom Edward I had granted free warren in his
demesne lands of Houghton in 1303, (fn. 36) died seised of
1 messuage and 1 carucate of land in the vill of
North, Houghton held of John de St. John by service
of half a knight's fee and suit at the hundred court
of Somborne. (fn. 37) His heir was his sister Alice Loveratz,
aged fifty, (fn. 38) but she seems soon afterwards to have
alienated her part of the vill to Richard de Ranville and
Lucy his wife, who in 1323 dealt by fine with 1
messuage, 1 carucate of land, 10 acres of meadow,
and 60s. rent in North Houghton near Stockbridge. (fn. 39) In
1346 Richard de Ranville was
still holding the half-fee which
had belonged to Richard of
Portsea in Houghton, (fn. 40) but by
1428 it had come into the
possession of John Roger, junr.
of Bryanston (co. Dorset). (fn. 41)
By this date also the tenement which had belonged to
Thomas Brinkhale at the beginning of the fourteenth century had descended to John
Brinkhale. (fn. 42) To each of these
holdings was afterwards given the name of the manor
of North Houghton, so that for centuries there were
two manors of the same name in the parish, each
with a distinct history of its own.
Roger of Bryanston. Argent a pierced molet sable and a chief or with a fleur-de-lis gules therein.
The estate which John Roger had purchased came
into the possession of the Webbes of Odstock (co.
Wilts.) and Great Cranford (co. Dorset), but whether
by purchase or inheritance does not appear. In
1569 William Webbe and Catherine his wife, daughter
and heir of John Tourney of Motcombe and Payne's
Place near Shaftesbury (co.
Dorset), (fn. 43) dealt with the manor
of North Houghton by fine. (fn. 44)
From them it descended to
their son Sir William Webbe, (fn. 45)
who died seised of the manor
in 1623, leaving as his heir
his daughter Rachel, wife of
Sir John Croke of Chilton
(co. Bucks.). (fn. 46) Their son
Charles Croke left an only
daughter Catherine, who married John Lisle of Moyle's
Court, (fn. 47) and probably brought
the manor to her husband. The later history of
this manor has not been ascertained.
Webbe of Odstock. Gules a cross between four falcons close or.
In 1485 Richard III granted the manor or lordship
of North Houghton, formerly belonging to Michael
Skilling, deceased, to John Pole
and Richard Pole and their
heirs and assigns, (fn. 48) and judging
from this, it is clear that the
estate in North Houghton,
which was in the possession
of John Brinkhale in 1428,
passed before long to some
member of the Skilling family.
In spite of the royal grant, however, Alice Skilling, daughter
of Michael Skilling, and Robert
Pistar, son and heir of William
Pistar and Rebecca his wife,
daughter of William Skilling, (fn. 49)
dealt by fine with a fourth part of the manor in
1517 (fn. 50) and 1546 (fn. 51) respectively, and William Skilling
was in possession of the whole in 1585. (fn. 52) From
the latter it passed to George Hunt, who sold it
together with a free fishery in the Test to William
Symons in 1592. (fn. 53) Thirty years later it passed by
purchase from William to Richard Oviatt of Highwood
(co. Hants), (fn. 54) who died seised of the same in 1634. (fn. 55)
By his will dated 26 January, 1632, he left the
manor to his daughter Catherine (fn. 56) wife of Thomas
Urrey of Gatcombe (fn. 57) in fee-tail. The subsequent
history of this estate has not been discovered.
Lisle of Moyle's Court. Azure a chief or with three lions azure therein.
DENECOURT
DENECOURT (Dennecourt, xiv cent.; Houghton
Dencourte, xvi cent.).
In the reign of Henry III Richard de Dene was
holding half a knight's fee in Houghton of the ancient
feoffment of Robert de Punchard, who held of William
de Beauchamp, who held of the king. (fn. 58) In 1316
William de Dene, apparently a descendant of Richard,
was still holding this half-fee, (fn. 59) which by this time had
evidently come to be known as the manor of Denecourt in Houghton, but he must have parted with it
soon afterwards, for in 1325 it was settled on Thomas
de Weston and Margaret his wife, (fn. 60) who were already
owners of the manor of Marshcourt in King's Somborne. (fn. 61) Sir Thomas de Weston died seised of the
manor in 1354, leaving as his heirs his daughters
Eleanor and Isabel, and his granddaughters Eleanor
and Isabel, the daughters of his deceased daughter
Margaret wife of John Louvaine. (fn. 62) One moiety was
assigned to the elder granddaughter Eleanor, who
married Sir William Bourchier in 1365, (fn. 63) but what
became of the other moiety at this time it seems impossible to ascertain. It does not seem to have been
assigned to the other granddaughter Isabel who died
without issue in 1359, (fn. 64) for, if so, on her death it
would naturally have passed to her sister Eleanor as
her heir, and Eleanor, at her death in 1397, was only
seised of one moiety. (fn. 65) By 1428, however, it had
evidently passed to a certain John Puttoun, (fn. 66) but in
what manner does not appear. Eleanor's moiety on
the other hand passed to John Roger of Bryanston, the
purchaser of North Houghton in 1422, (fn. 67) and consequently John Roger and John Puttoun are given as
the joint owners of Denecourt in 1428. (fn. 68) John
Puttoun's moiety was evidently bought up by John
Roger or his successors, (fn. 69) and after this the manor of
Houghton Denecourt, as it was afterwards called,
followed the same descent as the first-named manor of
North Houghton (q.v.).
HOUGHTON EDINGTON
HOUGHTON EDINGTON (Edingtons, xvi
cent.).
There was also another estate in Houghton—
parcel of the honour of Gloucester— (fn. 70) which, in the
reign of Henry III, was held by John de Waleys and
Robert le Dene of Geoffrey de Lauriton who held of
Robert de Mesy. (fn. 71) In 1316 Walter de Waleys was
holding the moiety formerly held by John de Waleys, (fn. 72)
and it is probable that by this time Thomas de Rous
had succeeded Robert le Dene in possession of the
other moiety, (fn. 73) although this is not expressly stated.
By 1323, however, the whole seems to have been in
the possession of Thomas de Byvedon and Joan his
wife, who in that year conveyed seven messuages, two
carucates of land, 26 acres of meadow, 50s. rents, and
half a knight's fee in North Houghton, Stockbridge,
and Longstock to Walter de Stapleton bishop of Exeter
and his brother Richard, (fn. 74) probably for purposes of settlement. In 1341 the same estate, described in this
case as three messuages, two carucates of land, 34 acres of
meadow, and £8 rent in North Houghton, Longstock,
and Stockbridge, was settled on William de Edington, or
Edendon, afterwards bishop of Winchester (1346–66),
by John de Cologne of London, (fn. 75) and remained in his
possession until his death, (fn. 76) on which account it was
in after times called the manor of Houghton Edington
or Edingtons. After his death
it seems to have passed to Sir
Thomas Hungerford, (fn. 77) and
from him to Sir Aumary de
St. Amand and Eleanor his
wife, with whom it remained
for a considerable period, Sir
Aumary at length conveying
it to Robert Shotesbroke in
1401. (fn. 78) It was sold to John
Roger of Bryanston (co. Dorset)
together with half the manor
of Denecourt in 1423, (fn. 79) and
from this time has followed the
same descent as the first-named manor of North
Houghton (q.v.).
Edington. Or a cross engrailed gules with five cinquefoils or thereon.
CHURCH
The church of ALL SAINTS has a
chancel 27 ft. 3 in. by 14 ft. 2 in., with
a modern south vestry and a nave
38 ft. 6 in. by 14 ft. 9 in., with north aisle 10 ft. 4 in.
wide, south aisle 7 ft. 3 in. wide, modern south porch,
and wooden bell-turret over the west end.
Some pieces of twelfth-century detail, belonging to
the first half of the century, and including the head of
a small window, are built into the east wall of the
south aisle, and there is other evidence that a church
was on this site at the time. It was probably a small
building with aisleless nave and chancel, the nave
being of the same width as at present but shorter, and
the chancel smaller in both dimensions than that which
now stands. The first enlargement seems to have been
the addition of a north chapel to the nave, and about
1200 a south aisle of three bays was built, the nave
being probably lengthened at this time. Towards
the end of the thirteenth century the north chapel
was carried westward to the same length as the south
aisle, and in the second quarter of the fourteenth century the chancel was rebuilt. The wooden bellturret is probably of the fifteenth century, but the
upper part and spire date from 1890. In 1875 the
chancel was restored and the present east window set
up in place of one with wooden frame and mullions.
The nave was repaired in 1882, and the chancel arch
rebuilt. The walls are of flint rubble with stone
dressings, mostly covered with plaster, and the roofs
are red-tiled.
The chancel has a modern east window of three
lights, two two-light windows on the north, and two
on the south, with a plain priest's door between them.
With the exception of the south-west window all the
stonework of the windows is modern, of fourteenth-century style. In the south-west window, which
dates from c. 1330, it is old except the central mullion and the springing of the tracery above it. Below
this window a piece of fifteenth-century canopy work
is built into the outer face of the wall, upside down.
At the south-east of the chancel is a pretty trefoiled
piscina with a moulded label, and against the east wall
the remains of a fine reredos, a good deal re-tooled, but
evidently of fourteenth-century date. A band of
quatrefoils runs across it and on either side of the altar
are half-octagonal pedestals for image-niches; the whole
has evidently been painted, and traces of colour are yet
to be seen.
The chancel arch is of two chamfered orders, rising
from plain square jambs which are broader than it,
and probably form part of the wall of the older church.
The quoins, however, are not of twelfth-century type,
and may belong to the widening of the arch when the
chancel was rebuilt; the arch itself has been rebuilt
in modern times with old material.
On the north side of the nave are two arches,
separated by a 6 ft. length of walling. The eastern
arch is of irregular shape, stilted and round-headed, of
two edge-chamfered orders; the responds are square,
and that at the west has a twelfth-century chamfered
string at the springing, a modern copy of which is in
the east respond. The arch has evidently been altered,
but may have been of the twelfth century in the first
instance, opening to a north chapel. The western
arch is pointed, of two chamfered orders, with a string
of late thirteenth-century section at the springing, and
has to the east of it on the north side a trefoiled
piscina, marking the site of a former altar about midway in the present aisle. At the south-west of the
aisle is a second piscina, square-headed, and a wide
squint towards the chancel. The aisle is lighted by
square-headed windows of two wide trefoiled lights,
one at the east and two on the north, while the west
window is of the same type but narrower, and near
the north-west angle is a plain round-headed north
doorway of uncertain date.
The south arcade of the nave, of three bays, has
circular columns with plain capitals and bases moulded
with two rolls; the abaci are square edged and chamfered beneath, and the arches are pointed, of two edge-chamfered orders, all the stonework having diagonal
tooling. The east window of the aisle is of two lights
and the south window of three, both being modern,
and in the west wall is a small square-headed window
of two trefoiled lights. The south doorway is probably in situ, though reworked, the width of the aisle,
7 ft. 3 in., being a likely one for the date; the doorway has a semicircular arch of one order with a sunk
quarter-round moulding and a double chamfered label.
Here and in the north aisle, there is a squint to the
chancel, the southern narrower than the other. There
is no clearstory, and the west window of the nave is of
three cinquefoiled lights in modern stonework of
fifteenth-century style. The south porch is entirely
refaced, but contains some old masonry, and its moulded
wall plates are of fifteenth-century date.
All the roofs of the church, except that of the north
aisle, are old, the chancel having trussed rafters and a
single moulded and cambered tie-beam, while in the
nave the tie-beams are left in the rough, and have
king posts with struts to the pole plate. At the west
end are the heavy posts carrying the western bellturret, with braces to the upper beams. Externally
the turret and spire are covered with oak shingles, and
have in the belfry stage modern two-light openings of
fifteenth-century style.
The font is old but reworked, with a panelled bowl
and a square base of Purbeck marble. There are no
other old fittings in the church. On the south-east
angle of the south aisle is an incised sundial. There
are three bells, the treble of 1882 by Llewellin &
James of Bristol, and the second and tenor of 1742
by Robert Cor of Aldbourne.
The plate consists of a chalice, paten, and almsdish
of 1796, given by William Langford, D.D.
The earliest parish register contains mixed entries
from 1669 to 1713; the second from 1714 to 1738.
The third register contains baptisms and burials from
1738 to 1812, and marriages from 1738 to 1750; those
between 1752 and 1812 being in a separate register.
ADVOWSON
The church was in the gift of the
bishops of Winchester until 1852, (fn. 80)
in which year the patronage was
transferred on the next voidance of the see of Winchester to the bishops of Lichfield. (fn. 81) The living is
now a rectory in the gift of the Lord Chancellor, the
patronage having been exchanged and transferred to
the crown in 1873. (fn. 82)
Dependent upon the parish church was the chapel
of North Houghton, which existed at the time of the
Domesday Survey. (fn. 83) It was still in existence in the
fourteenth century, a certain Richard de Wotton,
described as parson of the chapel of Houghton, being
summoned during the episcopacy of Fox concerning
a plea of debt, (fn. 84) but there is no mention of it in the
Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535. Its site can still be traced
near North Houghton manor-house.
While John Stratford was bishop of Winchester,
the parish church and churchyard of Houghton, which
had been polluted by the shedding of blood, were
reconciled by the bishop of Bath and Wells. (fn. 85)
CHARITIES
An annual sum of £2 6s. 8d. is
paid from the funds of St. John's
Hospital and Allied Charities in
respect of the charity of George Pemerton, founded
by deed 1637. See city of Winchester.